bottom line

the bottom line

1. Literally, the final figure on a statement showing a person or company's total profit or loss. What is the bottom line for this quarter?

2. By extension, the most important aspect of something. You have all made compelling arguments, but the bottom line is that we need a viable, cost-effective solution, and I still don't think we've found one yet.

3. Profit or the desire for profit as an ultimate goal. These large corporations are only driven by the bottom line. They couldn't care less whether their product is durable.

bottom line

The ultimate result, the upshot; also, the main point or crucial factor. For example, The bottom line is that the chairman wants to dictate all of the board's decisions, or Whether or not he obeyed the law is the bottom line. This is an accounting term that refers to the earnings figures that appear on the bottom (last) line of a statement. It began to be transferred to other contexts in the mid-1900s.

By balancing and managing an organization's scorecard, executives can implement an automated solution to effectively implement their strategy and ensure accountability and control across the organization - leading to better bottom lines and higher shareholder value.

Though companies are increasingly concerned about the impact of real estate holdings on the bottom line, they are simultaneously putting pressure on corporate real estate executives to reduce staff and budgets, and cut the cost of managing and maintaining real estate portfolios.

Garcia credit Bottom Line with keeping them on track through the college application process, helping them with financial aid and loan consolidations, and sending them care packages good enough to make their roommates jealous.

The RSA, representing 25,000 owners of approximately 1 million apartments, has met its goals in a number of ways, perhaps none more important than shielding the owners' bottom line from the harsh economic climate we now confront.

Bottom line--As reported in Editor & Publisher, Sanders Lamont, ombudsman for The Sacramento Bee, recently conducted a five-year electronic file search of cliches that have been printed too often in his paper, and the winner (or loser) was bottom line, with no fewer than 2,638 appearances.

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